A series of closures following outbreaks of the coronavirus at the port of Ningbo in China – the world’s largest port – is affecting vessel traffic, although Chinese authorities have insisted that volumes are normal.
An outbreak of the coronavirus was first detected in Ningbo on Thursday last week, when the district Daxie Was quickly put on lockdown over the weekend. By Monday, however, the outbreak had spread to Bailon, an area that contains the largest number of terminals at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the world’s largest port by tonnage and the third largest by container.
The port city has faced repeated closures over the past few years, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping confirming in recent days that he still has no plans to change the “zero tolerance” policy towards outbreaks of the coronavirus.
Green channels for transport and closed circuit management were quickly installed at the port, but reports of delays at the port were not long in coming, with a significant decrease in the number of available truck drivers.
A new bank trade forecast ING warns that “closures due to the outbreak of the corona virus in China may return in 2023. Although the restrictions tended to be shorter and more focused, the activity will still be affected.”